Arousal
by Shadico
Summary: Raven struggles to keep her emotions in balance as she engages in a new-found relationship with the resident changeling, Beast Boy. I don't know exactly where I plan to go with this, but there will be more.


There were many times in her life where Raven found herself attracted to the changeling. She would have never accepted his offer of a date all that time ago otherwise. She didn't, however, expect to become aroused by him so easily. She found that Beast Boy had grown a lot since the team had been founded. Both mentally and physically, being a Titan had been great for him. And oh how he had grown.

By the time Beast Boy had finally worked up the courage to ask Raven out on a date, the two heroes were already 20 years old. Preceded by this were months and months of subtle flirting on Beast Boy's part, testing the waters for quite some time. After all this time on the team together, it really had taken Raven by surprise. She had always known he held an attraction and affection for her, but never thought it was anything more than that. She had assumed the flirting was just a new part of their usual banter, one she was quite pleased with. The surprises hadn't stopped there, either. He had asked her to wear something very nice, and that he would be wearing a tuxedo himself. Over the years, it was an exceedingly rare occasion that you would catch Beast Boy dressed in anything other than his fighting togs. Most of the time when he would go out in civvies, they would be baggy to hide that he was wearing his costume underneath. He didn't fool anyone.

This time though, he had gone the distance. When Beast Boy knocked on her door, she could feel the anxiety course through her. Why, oh why, had she agreed to this? Sure she might have had a small crush on him for some time now, but was it really worth embarrassing herself in this ridiculous tight red spaghetti strap dress? Another series of knocks snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Coming, coming!" Raven exclaimed, doing her best to calm her nerves. Reclaiming her calm exterior, she took a deep breath before opening the door. Her jaw dropped an inch and her eyes widened, as did his. He had trimmed and styled his once shaggy, messy mane. His tuxedo was form fitting, and accentuated all of his best features. Azar, he looked _good_. He looked _mature_. Suave. Debonair. Charming. Knowledge was swarming her mind with synonyms for his new appearance.

The changeling was the first to snap out of the stupor. "W-wow Rae. You look _hot_. Ah-err, I mean...beautiful. You look stunning. Just… wow…"

Coming back to her senses, she smiled a tiny Raven smile. "You don't look half bad yourself, Beast Boy."

"If you don't mind, I'd prefer to go by Garfield tonight." He winked, and held out his arm for her to grab. Rolling her eyes she walked beside him heading towards the garage. "Let's get going, _Gar_." 'I suppose Beast Boy doesn't really fit at the moment,' she noted mentally.

While they were out, he had proven to be a fantastic date. He was a tad awkward and nervous at the start, but he hadn't lost his light hearted spirit and charm. He was fun, courteous, and an altogether gentleman. To say Raven was confused at the tail end of their date would have been a massive understatement. Who was this man and what had he done with Beast Boy?

He had first taken her to an amazing restaurant called Melisse in downtown Jump that she had only heard of in the occasional news headline. With a romantic flair, Melisse was a French restaurant ideal for those looking to impress that special someone with a dashing night out. Purple walls and white-blanketed tables gave the atmosphere an intimate and inviting vibe. The food was also nothing short of delicious. After that, he had surprised her yet again by taking her to experience the Jump Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Once that had finished, Raven had been thoroughly pleased with Garfield. She let him know it by finally looping her arm around his once offered. The date, which she had been so nervous about, had exceeded every single one of her expectations. But he wasn't finished with her just yet.

Instead of heading back to the tower after the concert, Garfield had taken a detour. Engaging the T-Car's hover mode instead of taking the hidden tunnel to the Tower, they proceeded past the Tower and stopped at a small enclave on the outskirts of Jump City Bay where there was already a blanket and unlit candles set up. Escorting Raven out of the car and onto the blanket, she stared at him questioningly. His response was a loving smile as he gestured for her to take a seat. Reaching into the nearby basket, he fumbled with the lighter for a moment, trying to get the damn thing to spark. With a smirk and a wave of her hand, the candles instantly lit up. Garfield's surprised yelp elicited a hum of satisfaction from the empath. The changeling glanced at the clock on his T-Communicator and smiled. She saw him mouth a countdown. Three...two...one. There was a sudden loud explosion in the distance, followed by bright streaking sparkles illuminating the sky. Fireworks.

"Heh, It's Heroes Day. Thought you'd like the show."

Raven's small smile widened. "Cheesy in the best way." The two laid back onto the pillows behind them. As the fireworks continued, she suddenly felt a finger graze at her own. Glancing down, she saw him timidly keeping his hand right next to hers, his one finger continuing to brush against her own. An invitation, she thought. One she nervously accepted. Interlacing her fingers in his, she could hear his contented sigh and he gave her hand a small squeeze and began to rub small circles on the side of her hand with his thumb. Raven began to feel butterflies in her stomach as the intimacy of the moment began to affect her. Certain emoticlones were beginning to get quite noisy and demanding.

The fireworks picked up in their intensity after a while, the finale having just begun. Garfield turned on his side, which prompted Raven to roll on her side as well. Both having rolled towards each other, there were just a scant few inches of separation between them. Garfield smiled.

"So, have I earned a second date?" He asked with a bit of false confidence. His own butterflies were kicking into gear.

She replied with no hesitation. "Definitely." No sarcasm. No sass. No second guessing. If anything, Raven's reply was a bit eager. She blushed.

The two stared into each others eyes, lights from the fireworks playing with the shadows on their faces. The air suddenly became a bit heavier, and a pair of hearts began to race. The changeling squeezed Raven's hand, and received one in return. That was the encouragement he was looking for. Leaning towards the empath, Gar's eyes became half-closed as his lips approached hers. Realization at what he was attempting hit Raven like a truck, and she leaned back just a bit as Timid momentarily consumed her psyche. The emotion had hit her so strongly that her face had scrunched up as she closed her eyes and forced it down, looking like she had sucked on a lemon. She had wanted this to happen, but couldn't overcome her nerves.

"I…" Raven faded off. Her emoticlones were in a frenzy now. With Timid pushed back down, certain other emotions were fighting to make themselves known. As her eyes opened, she immediately noticed the changeling's downtrodden expression. Eyes downcast, she watched as his ears slowly drooped. Realizing she was looking at him, he put a smile on his face immediately.

"It's ok." Garfield replied. "I understand."

As their hands were still clasped, although very loosely now, Raven's empathy picked up on the self loathing that was beginning to invade the changeling immediately. A bit of sorrow and a sense of defeat were mixed in as well, but above all else there was a blanket of acceptance encompassing it all. Had he thought this would happen. "I...don't think you do." She said, trying to work out where these emotions fit into the situation.

Sitting up, Gar pulled his hand from hers and ran both hands briefly through his hair before reaching the back of his neck and rubbing at it nervously. "It's ok, Rae. Really. I shouldn't have tried. I know the green skin and fangs are a big put off. I can see why you'd be kinda… uhm… disgusted by kissing me, heh."

Raven's eyebrows almost shot off her face. "What? That's not it at all. I just got nervous, that's all. I actually wanted..." She trailed off as the words hung thick in the air.

After a long moment, he finally replied. "Oh."

A small bit of tension filled the air as neither of them made a move after that for a few moments. Eventually, Raven slipped her hand back into his and squeezed. Smiling, Garfield scooted a bit closer, and squeezed back. A calm and peaceful smile appeared on his face. He would wait for her this time.

In her mindscape, Raven's emotions still whirred in a frenzy. Timid was still asserting herself quite strongly, still holding Raven back from kissing the changeling. That is, until the red, purple, and green cloaked emoticlones began asserting themselves even more. This was the opportunity Raven had been waiting so long for. It was _not_ going to waste.

Feeling a sudden warmth in her chest and a spark of courage along with it, she leaned forward slowly. Eyes still locked with his, she tilted her head to the side and finally pressed her lips to his. Timidly at first, but no pulling back. One kiss became two, two became four. With each kiss, Timid grew weaker as the others exponentially grew stronger. A green hand slid through violet silken hair, gently pressing her head closer to their already locked lips. A gray hand slid under a tuxedo jacket and pulled at the body underneath. A masculine leg slipped between two feminine ones. He nipped at her lip, and she pulled at him harder. She rolled onto her back and he rested on all four limbs above her, never releasing her lips. Nipping her lips again and pulling lightly, he purred ever so slightly and she moaned. Both sounds, so erotic and yet completely new for both young heroes, snapped them back to reality.

Garfield let go of her lips and both were breathing heavily. The fireworks had ended some time ago, the leftover smoke already half dispersed by the wind. Sensing the moment was waning and desperate not to ruin what had just happened between them, Garfield leaned up, and gave Raven a quick kiss on her chakra. Standing up, he held out his arms and helped his date to her feet as well, though she did wobble for a split moment as she regained her bearings on the world. She hadn't expected herself to get that into it so suddenly.

The short ride back to the tower after that was silent aside from some soft music playing from the cars speakers, and the two were suddenly a bit awkward with each other. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the center console, Beast Boy let his hand rest there loosely. It stood out immediately to Raven, and she knew that he was offering to hold hands. Her heart rate picked up, and this small gesture suddenly seemed insurmountable to her. She instead let her hands fiddle with her dress and the changeling reluctantly withdrew his hand. Eventually, the two made their way to the tower and entered it discreetly. The entire walk back inside the tower was in awkward silence, and finally the two arrived in front of Raven's door.

"So…." The changeling began, with some hesitation. "Did you like today?" His apprehension was oozing off him in waves. The excited, blissful emotions he had before the fireworks was now nowhere to be seen.

After a small pause and a short battle with herself, Raven replied softly. "It was wonderful, Gar."

Beast Boy's grin overtook his face at the nickname flowing from the empaths lips so tenderly. "So, uhm...see you tomorrow?"

With a roll of her eyes in an attempt to establish some kind of normalcy between them, Raven nodded. She noticed a slight bit of apprehension alter the changelings posture. He suddenly overwhelmingly nervous. What could he possibly be nervous about now? He started to lean in at a painfully slow pace and his eyes dropped ever so slightly. Oh, this. She waited for him to lean in completely and kiss her, but as he got closer, he would slow down more and more. It looked fairly ridiculous. Was he trembling? A small smile graced Raven's face. His overly abundant nerves actually calmed her quite a bit. He still is the same Beast Boy, it seems. Her Timidity seemed to only shrink more and more with every nervous centimeter the changeling approached. Brave and Lust were now in full control. The empath sighed and made her move.

"Oh for Azar's sake, Gar."

Grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling harshly, Raven gave Beast Boy a fiercely passionate kiss. It took only a second for the changeling to start reciprocating. Right as the intense kissing session seemed like it could have gotten more intimate, Raven released the changeling's shirt and watched as he staggered a step back. Raven couldn't really help but to smile widely at the look on his face. A mixture between dreamy and dazed, blissful and dizzy.

"Goodnight, Gar."

"...Night, Rae."

And she escaped into her room.


End file.
